Gluegunned Roses
by Thunder Kisaragi
Summary: Set before the game. Cloud and Tifa are little kids, and Cloud needs to get Tifa the best present for her birthday! Trouble ensues for our minihero. And how is a gluegun involved in all this? Cloti fic, R&R!


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Glue-gunned Roses

Thunder K: For the very supportive reviewers of 'At the end of the day'! Thanks so much guys!

Summary: Set post-game. Cloud and Tifa are six and five years old, and Cloud wants to give Tifa something pretty because he likes her so much. And you can only guess what kind of disasters ensue!

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Little Cloud sat on his bed, his legs dangling over the edge as he rocked back and forth, thinking. The day after tomorrow was Tifa's birthday! She was his best friend, and he really liked her, not the way she liked him, either. But it was hard for them to hang out lots; all the other boys were mean to Cloud, and they liked Tifa too.

He was still going to get her the best present ever! But the question was, what to get her? He decided to consult his mom on the issue. She was, after all, a girl. Just a big one!

The soft pitter-patter of his feet on the floor echoed slightly as he walked over to his sleeping mom, who was snuggled deeply in the covers. He plopped onto the bed, and poked her. No response. He poked her again, just harder. Still nothing. He smacked her arm lightly, and recieved only a mumble in reply. What was she, a rock?

He then leaned over and tickled her lightly. She was awake and alert immediately! He grinned, and tugged on her nightgown. She looked down, and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Cloud, what is going on? I'm trying to sleep," she said, her voice that of a weary woman.

"I need ideas for a pre...present, for Teef!" he said matter-of-factly. Her gaze softened slightly at that.

"Couldn't that have waited til tomorrow?" his mom asked.

"Nah uh!" he cried, shaking his head,"I need to _get _the present t'morrow, mama!"

"Oh, I see," she replied cautiously,"And why have you decided to ask me?"

He looked at her with funny, childish exasperation,"Because you're a _girl_!"

"Of course. How silly of me. Alright, how about we get some shuteye, and first thing tomorrow morning I give you ideas."

Cloud finally said reluctantly,"Ok, mama. 'Night."

She kissed his cheek and said,"Goodnight, sweetie."

He walked back to his own bed, clambered onto it and threw the covers over himself. In a matter of minutes he was sleeping a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, he woke up with the dawn. He gave his mom about a half hour as he got dressed and washed, then went over and shook her awake. She got up slowly, stretching, then went to get dressed. She then made them breakfast, which they ate in silence.

Finally they sat down on the carpet. His mom listed off things, which he wrote down slowly. He was, after all, just learning to write.

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Cloud's List for Teef's prezints

- Flowers

- chocolits

- tedy bear

- necklasse

That was Cloud's list. So, he decided he'd check the stores. He thanked his mom, stuffed his list in a backpack and shouldered it. Then he walked out the door, looking serious as if he were a brave adventurer going on a dangerous mission.

Cloud walked into the sweets store first. He searched for Tifa's favorite chocolates, fudge, but couldn't find any. They were sold out. Next, he went to the toys and accessories store. The only remaining teddy bears had stupid things written on their stomachs, so he looked at the jewelry. He could only afford the cheap, plastic ones, and didn't want give something like that to Tifa.

All that was left was flowers, but there was no flower store. He headed up past the ShinRa Mansion, looking for the pretty flowers that grew there. Obviously, the other boys had gotten there first. All that remained were patches of dirt or torn stems.

Slumped dejectedly, the little boy walked back down to his house, completely defeated. As if he had a chance against the other boys!

That's when he remembered something Tifa had told him once. There was a beautiful flower, a blue rose, that only grew once a year, and bloomed only in May. She had said she wished she could see it, even once, but it grew on Mt. Nibel and she wasn't allowed to go there.

That's what he would get her! The Marina, blue rose. She would be so happy! And she'd like his present lots more than the other boys. He felt so proud at his discovery. He then turned around and began the long walk up Mt. Nibel.

Making his way past the ShinRa Mansion, he walked for about 15 minutes before arriving at the bridge. It was a wooden bridge, and he had heard some village men saying it was 'unstable'. Whatever that meant! But it didn't matter to him; he had to get Tifa's present!

He crossed the bridge at a run, unaware of the danger. Suddenly, a part of the bridge fell out beneath him, and his leg got stuck.

"Uh oh, pasghettio!" he cried, alarmed. He tugged, pulled and heaved, and finally got his leg out. It was bleeding, and covered in other small scratches. He felt like crying, but he had to be a big boy. Wiping his eyes, he continued crossing the bridge, but at a cautious walk.

Finally he made it to the other side, and breathed a sigh of relief. Safety! Then his face fell; he would have to cross the bridge again on the way back. Then he shook his head, thinking,'It's worth it! This is for Teef!'

So he continued walking, determined to find the flower. After probably one or two hours, and many cuts and bruises later, he smelled something sweet. His pace quickened. Turning a corner, his eyes lit up. There they were.

He could see why Tifa would want to see these! After all, girls liked this kind of stuff. It was a beautiful light blue rose, turned towards the sun. He walked over to the only one in full bloom, and carefully picked it. Then, he sneezed.

Petals went everywhere! Geez, they meant it when they said this flower was delicate. But Cloud looked in horror at the fallen petals; everything was ruined! What could he do now? He fell to the ground, sniffling slightly, but not allowing himself to cry.

Then he got back up, picked up the petals as well as the stem and put them in a plastic bag. He carefully placed that in his backpack, and began the walk home. He arrived about an hour later, and walked into his house.

"Cloud! Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!" cried his mom, hugging him. He pushed her back slightly.

"Careful, mommy! Stuffs in my bag. 'Sides, I'm ok."

With that said he walked over to the cupboards and pulled out a glue gun. It was the only way. He pulled the petals out of the plastic bag, and the stem, and placed them on the table. Pulling out the glue gun, he took a deep breath...

And then worked for the next hour on glueing the petals back on! Needless to say, the flower turned out kind of funny. Oh, it looked all right, but there were drops of glue everywhere on it! He waited for the glue to harden, then took the flower and walked to Tifa's house.

She was thanking a little boy her age for a chocolate he gave her, a kind smile on her cute little face. Then Cloud walked over.

"Happy birthday, Teef!" he said cheerfully.

"Oh, I was thinking you forgetted my birthday." she replied.

"Never, Tifa." Then he pulled out the rose, and she looked at it in shock. Silence reigned between them.

"It's ok, you don't have to like it..." Cloud whispered sadly. As he turned to go, Tifa grabbed his arm.

"It's not that, silly! I was surpri-sooprised!" Tifa cried. Then he looked happy again, and handed it to her.

"The blue rose..." she said in awe,"Oh, thank you Cloud! It's the best present ever!"

Then she stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him on the cheek. His face turned numerous shades of red, and Tifa grinned up at him. So, that was a wonderful day for our mini-hero! And it was only the beginning of a great love that would form between them.

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9 years later...(A.K.A, the REAL goodbye when Cloud leaves!)

Cloud sat beneath the stars, waiting for his best friend and secret crush, Tifa. He needed some time alone with her before he left to join SOLDIER.

"Cloud?" And there she was.

"Hey Tifa." he replied gently. She came and sat down next to him. They passed some time in companiable silence.

Finally Tifa spoke up,"You're leaving, aren't you? To join SOLDIER? All the boys are."

He looked slightly sad, before replying,"Yeah, I am." But he couldn't show he was sad. He was doing this to impress Tifa!

"Let's make a promise. When you're famous and all, you'll come save me when I'm in trouble. Ok?" she asked.

"Sure." he replied, smiling slightly. Then she looked at him carefully. Their eyes met, and for the moment they saw eachother's souls. Then Cloud leaned down and kissed her.

She was too shocked to do anything at first, but finally relaxed and began to kiss him back. They came up for air, looked at eachother, and kissed again. His arms went around her waist as they kissed, more passionately withe every minute.

Then they broke apart, both gasping for breath, not quite sure what had happened. But they knew their feelings weren't unrequited, and that was enough for them. And they spent that night beneath the stars, together.

The End

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Thunder K: R&R!


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